Ryan Dixon's Column

As the 2010 Games in Vancouver draw near, there's plenty of debate on who should be starting in goal for Canada, the U.S., Russia, Finland and the Czech Republic. Never has a fish on land flopped so beautifully.
Technically it was a fish on ice, and even more accurately, it was Dominik Hasek doing the flailing.

Crosby's recent goal-scoring exploits deserve recognition not only for their frequency, but for their style. The role of the garbage man has never been so glamorous.
Sidney Crosby may not (yet) be the best player in NHL history at playing on the lip of the crease, but he’s the best player in NHL history who scores the majority of his goals from the lip of the crease.

When should a player leave the game after taking a big hit? It's time for the same old arguments to be swept under the rug and open analysis encouraged. Hockey players have been chastised for being cliche machines off the ice, but while playing, typically, they’re great communicators.
It’s only natural to scream for a pass when a scoring chance presents itself, but that’s not necessarily when players are at their most vocal.

It's gone from one of the best, to the absolute worst division in hockey in a few short years and this might be the season only one Northeast team makes the post-season. The Northeast dynasty is dead.
OK, so it isn’t exactly the fall of Rome, but the fact the Northeast has become hockey’s worst division is still an item of note.

After bouncing from coast-to-coast via trade last season, the 25-year-old now rounds out an impressive cast in the Liberty City. Pronger. Timonen. Coburn. Carle? C’mon.
Normally we wouldn’t get all gushy about a guy who storms out to the early-season points lead among defensemen (after all, Paul Mara is tied for second), but Philadelphia blueliner Matt Carle represents an interesting case.

With questions surrounding Joe Thornton's leadership skills, there's another Joe in S.J. who could wear the 'C' next season. Rob Blake has all the qualities any captain should and one specifically well suited to the San Jose Sharks.
The big blueliner has experience, talent, his teammates’ respect, not to mention two previous stints wearing the ‘C’ as a member of the L.

Most teams' top two lines are already written in pen, but there are a few situations where players can move into the mix and watch their production skyrocket. They’re the half-dozen counted on to get it done.
If you play on an NHL team’s top two lines, there’s an expected level of offensive competence.

The Big Apple isn't usually a place people go to get away from the spotlight, however if you're a hockey player coming in from Montreal it's just that. Chris Higgins might be the first athlete in the history of pro sports to find life in Manhattan a little slower than his previous stop. New York City is a lot of things, but it’s rarely the place you go for a reprieve from the madness.

At first glance, having Maxim Lapierre on the cover of the Yearbook is shocking, however, he is more important to his team's lineup than you may think. It wasn’t meant as a slight.
OK, maybe it was a bit, but the THN staffer who shook his head in disbelief after finding out Maxim Lapierre was the cover boy for our French Yearbook could be forgiven for his flummoxed state.

The 45 players at Team Canada's orientation camp would make up two fine entries and there are still lots of players at home who could be worthy of a spot. Obscene.
That’s pretty much the only word that comes to mind when contemplating the level of talent Hockey Canada has assembled at its summer orientation camp in preparation for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

There's no denying the bruising blueliner is a good addition for any team, but he's not the savior some fans have him pegged as. It’s a reciprocal hockey formula that can’t be denied: Reputation doesn’t necessarily equal contribution.
Two teams that should be acutely aware of that double-edged truth this year are the Toronto Maple Leafs and Team USA.

It's usually expected that a surprise team will regress a little the following season, but don't expect anything like that from the Beantown Bruisers. The Boston Bruins caught the hockey world off-guard last year with their march to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. As with all surprising surges, the inclination is to expect a step back now that the great burden of expectation has reared its ugly, pressure-filled head.